Snow, ice, freezing conditions. Though the thought of this elicits fear and dread in most people, I am the person who loves winter! It is my favourite season, and growing up in a hot country, I always had this fascination with snow. Therefore it is only fair for me to choose one of the coldest months of the year to visit one of the coldest countries in the world! We chose to visit Iceland in February, when the days are short and frigid, and the nights are long and icy with a lot of snow!

We landed in Keflavik airport after a short flight from London Heathrow, and took the airport bus straight to our ‘apartment hotel’ in the city centre which was right by the Reykjavik harbour. The apartment was cosy and designed in the typical Scandi-style with minimalistic, but functional décor. It had a little kitchenette which was very useful for easy and convenient supermarket meals as food in Iceland is EXPENSIVE! Our first stop was the supermarket chain, Bonus, which is a great place to pick up small eats, breakfast pastries and breads to keep you going through the day. After a quick bite, we stepped out of our hotel and walked by the harbour to stop at a bar in the trendy Kex Hostel. This is a typical backpacker hostel and has a cool and grungy vibe, set in an old biscuit factory. The bar does local lager, craft beer and ale in a buzzing, laidback space. After a pint, we set out to the next bar, Kaffibarinn. Part-owned by Blur’s, Damon Albarn, this place is a Reykjavik nightlife legend. It oozes coolness, and is THE place to be seen on a night out! Though predominantly known for late-night debauchery, the dim, candle-lit interiors make it feel almost romantic. We had a quick pint at Kaffibarinn, before heading out to find some food. Surprisingly, Iceland is known world over for its hotdogs and burgers. After the beer, we were craving a greasy, meaty burger and Hamborgarabulla Tomasar has some of the best in town! Simple, no-frills burgers which are delicious and affordable in the heart of Reykjavik.

The next morning, we were out of our apartment very early to board the bus for our Golden Circle tour. The only downside about travelling in Iceland is that it is really hard to get around without a car. Public transport is not a real thing, and you have to rely on organized coach tours for everything (including airport transfers). It was a cold, blustery day, and we stopped for a quick breakfast before our tour at Bergsson Mathús which serves up simple and healthy farm-to-table food at affordable prices. Free-range eggs, organic vegetables and sleek Scandi décor, makes it a nice place for a quick and easy breakfast before a long day out. Once we boarded the bus and stopped at several other pick-up points around the city, we were on our way to the first major stop of the day – Þingvellir National Park. Þingvellir National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site, very famous for its geo-political history. It was at Þingvellir where most of the momentous decisions in Iceland’s history were made. But more interestingly, it is the only place where you can see the Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, which means you can literally stand at the points of the continental drift! There are lots of other sites within the park such as Almannagjá, Öxarárfoss waterfall and Drekkingarhylur pond. We went on a snowy day, and the waterfalls and springs were icy, but looked even more stunning. The next stop on the tour was the Strokkur geyser – an active geyser in a geothermic field which shoots water 100 feet up into the air. We stopped for lunch at the town of Laugarvatn, right opposite the geyser, before continuing on to the final spot of the tour – and arguably the star – Gullfoss waterfall. By this time, it was coming down with icy rain and there were strong arctic winds blowing fiercely at the site of the waterfall. This was the only time in my life when the freezing weather became unbearable, and I felt a bit suffocated as we walked towards the edge of the waterfall. The rain felt like shards of glass shattering against my face, my face and body felt numb, and the persistent winds made it hard to breathe. Braving the harsh and unforgiving weather conditions was worth it though for THIS waterfall. It is a majestic sight – loud and gushing – a good part of it frozen, with a strong and forceful thrust of water. It is really breath-taking (quite literally) to stand at the edge of the cliff watching this sight of nature, which feels straight out of a Nat Geo documentary. Frozen to the bones, we boarded the bus back to Reykjavik. I had genuinely never felt this cold in my entire life! On the way back, we even stopped by a farm where I got to pet and be nuzzled by adorable Icelandic horses, who are extremely affectionate and show it by burying their heads into your face and neck 🙂 After an exhausting and physically testing day, we just wanted to spend the rest of the evening under a scalding hot shower back in the apartment, and tuck into comfort takeaway (expensive!) food. It started to snow late in the evening, and it was blissful to be able to snuggle under the warm duvet whilst admiring the delicate snowflakes accumulate on the window pane.

The next day was very exciting as it was our day at the Blue Lagoon! Having seen some stunning pictures of the baby blue, steamy springs, I was so excited to spend the entire day soaking in the comforting water and slathering on mud masks! It had snowed the entire night, and Reykjavik was covered in a blanket of ankle-deep snow. The streets outside our apartment looked magical! We wanted to have a quick breakfast somewhere close to the apartment, and happened to stumble upon Grái Kötturinn, a cute vintage-y basement café (which we later learned is a favourite of Icelandic musician, Björk). We had to take a bus to the Blue Lagoon which is quite close to Keflavik airport. The drive there was beautiful – as we neared the lagoon, all we could see were snow-covered lava fields and little pools of aqua blue springs. After a quick shower in the changing rooms, we entered the spring. It was bluer than ever, and the water was nice and toasty. It was such a unique experience, to be able to step from the ice-covered ground straight into a steamy body of geothermal water and spend the entire day feeling warm whilst it snowed around you! The fun part of the experience is the silica mud and algae masks you get (depending on the type of package you buy) to apply over your face and body, whilst sipping on sparkling wine, which makes it feel a bit more glamourous and luxury spa-like. I’ve seen pictures of the lagoon in the warmer months, but I strongly believe it is an ethereal experience in winter, when the lava rocks are covered in snow, and the steamy water is a welcome respite from the icy weather. A truly relaxing afternoon!

After getting back to Reykjavik, we had half a day to explore the town. It was still snowing and by now, the snow went well above my ankles and we had to wade through it in some places. We walked down to the town centre to see the impressive Hallgrímskirkja – the largest church in Iceland and a very tall and imposing structure. The design of the church is unique and quirky, and resembles a rocket ship. We went up to the church tower to take in the sweeping views across the city – the multi-coloured roof-tops peeking out from under the thick blanket of snow. It looked like a painting! Right opposite Hallgrímskirkja is the small and charming Café Loki which specializes in traditional Icelandic home-made dishes. We had the Icelandic platter which came with rye bread, mashed fish (plokkfiskur), smoked trout, sheep-head jelly, and of course the famous fermented shark! After a late afternoon meal, we spend the next few hours walking (or rather wading) in the snow through the town centre, its quaint shops and the harbour. We stopped to see the Harpa concert hall and the the Sun Voyager, an interesting sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason on the waterfront. Our last meal in Iceland had to be the much talked about Icelandic hot dog… and so we went to one of the most sought after hotdog stands in the world – Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, made famous by President Bill Clinton who stopped by for a hotdog on his visit to Reykjavik. Hotdog in hand, we walked back to our hotel just after sunset to spend a cosy night in, admiring the snowfall from our window and enjoying our last night in this winter wonderland!